ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. 141 



combs finally become so contaminated with the disease that scarcely 

 any brood can be reared. The old bees die off from natural causes, 

 and, their being no young bees reared to take their places, the col- 

 ony dwindles away until it becomes a prey to robber bees who carry 

 home the honey, and thus start the infection in their own hives. In 

 this way the disease is spread from hive to hive, and from apiary to 

 apiary. 



Such, in brief, is foul brood; and, as there is no apiary in which 

 there is not a possibility that it may appear, every bee-keeper ought 

 to be able to distinguish it, and to know what to do when he is 

 so unfortunate as to find it in his apiary. From reading the 

 published descriptions, many bee-keepers have formed exaggerated 

 ideas regarding the appearance of foul brood, especially of its ap- 

 pearance in ii<, first stages. They are looking for combs black with 

 slime and rottenness, a stench strong enough to knock a man down, 

 and colonies dwindled away to mere handfuls. The possession of 

 these exaggerated ideas by bee-keepers has allowed foul brood to 

 gain a strong foothold in many an apiary long before the unfortunate 

 owner ever dreamed of its presence. At first, only a few diseased 

 cells will be found. Of course, it is not advisable that a bee-keeper 

 be continually opening brood nests, and critically examining combs 

 for foul brood, but there are certain danger signals that it is well to 

 bear in mind. If a colony shows signs of listlessness; or many dead 

 bees are found in front of the hive; or, if a peculiar, unpleasant 

 odor is noticed, it would be wise to make an examination. Whenever 

 handling combs of brood, it is well to glance undcrstandingly at the 

 brood. Notice, if the "pearly field" of unsealed larvae is unbroken. If 

 there are desolate patches; and the sealed brood is scattering and in 

 patches instead of in solid sheets, examine more critically. If some 

 of the larvae are discolored, shapeless, ropy, ill-smelling, some of the 

 cappings sunken, perhaps perforated, foul brood is present. The 

 one sure symtom of foul brood is the ropiness of the larvae. If a 

 splinter be thrust into a dead larva, and withdrawn, the matter will 

 adhere to the splinter, and "string out," perhaps an inch, or more, 

 then break, and the two ends fly back to the points of attachment. 

 Without this viscidity there is no foiil brood — with it there is always 

 foul brood. 



Right here it might be well to say that all dead brood found in 

 the combs is not foul brood. There is chilled brood, starved or 

 neglected brood, "pickled" brood that comes and goes from what 

 cause no one yet knows, but in all of these the ropiness is lacking. 

 In the majority of cases the outer skin of the larva does not seem to 

 decay, and enables the operator to draw the whole larva from the 



